The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 11, 1989
Filed:
Apr. 10, 1987
Geoffrey L Taylor, Valencia, CA (US);
Hamid Saghatchi, Burbank, CA (US);
Identechs Corporation, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for remotely orienting the distant tip of a flexible borescope cable to point in a desired direction utilizes a plurality of vertabrae-like annular disks disposed transversely within the hollow interior of the distal end of the flexible cable. Fine, flexible wires fabricated from a shape memory effect (SME) alloy are fixedly attached to outermost disk, and extend longitudinally backwards slidably through aligned holes in the other disks, and slidably through hollow flexible tubes rearward of the innermost of the disks. Electrical power supplied to flexible conductors at either end of each SME alloy wires from a controllable source of electrical current at the proximal end of the flexible borescope cable permits heating a selected SME alloy wire to a transition temperature which causes the wire to assume a memory length different from its length at ambient temperature, producing a tensional force on the end disk which results in a bending moment being imparted to the flexible cable enclosing the disk.